Amici II

It is still the same Amici we have grown fond of...

The food is still great...
... their brick-oven-baked pizza is still one of the best we have had...

(Pizza Napoletana)

.. their pasta dishes still cooked al dente...

(Spaghetti Olio Aglio, left; Linguine Al Pesto Genovese, right)

But this is definitely new to me... this time, it wasn't gelato for dessert but their Profiterole, cream puff with chocolate coating.

.... definitely a new favorite!

There were several changes on the menu, some items have been removed and new ones added... One thing noticeable, though, is the increase in their prices. It would be alright for loyal clients to pay more for the same good food, but personally, if I were to pay more, I would not be happy with their self service style anymore. With their new prices, I think I prefer to be waited on.

Wendy's

Wendy's is one of the earliest hamburger chains in the country. It opened in 1983 and has managed to stay alive until now, with 31 stores and still growing.

Outlets have the same attractive interiors... neat and colorful... still have the same self-serve system with fast and efficient service.

Until now, their baked potato topped with bacon bits and melted cheese remains to be my favorite... and will always be...

All that gooey cheese is just too much to resist...

Hubby's new favorite is their shrimp sandwich which is light and crispy, hot and freshly made.

And yes, Wendy's delivers, too.

Red Ribbon's Cookies and Cream

Cookies and cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors from any brand. And when I heard that Red Ribbon has come up with their cake version, I knew I just had to try it.

I had my chance today when my favorite branch had Cookies and cream on their list of "cakes for the day" (cakes that can be served by the slice). The cake looks heavenly from top to bottom.

Vanilla, chiffon and chocolate cake layers with chunky cookies and cream at the center... with an oreo cookie atop each slice...

It was good... not too sweet. But it was a bit too creamy for me. Umay for my taste. The different layers each had its own creaminess and they didn't quite meld together for me. Maybe the textures of the layers were too different... Or maybe I was just too used to the Cookies 'n Cream ice cream that I love. Well, I think I will stick with the ice cream...

Cibo

We celebrated Da's birthday at Cibo in Trinoma last April. I know, I know... I should have blogged this a long time ago... now I couldn't quite remember the names of the great dishes we had.

After about 11 years of serving real modern Italian cuisine, we tried it, finally. The branch at Trinoma was a bit small and cramped, but the interior was modern and fancy. Nice.

Let me try to check out at Munchpunch if I could find the names of the different dishes we had....

For starters, we had the salad... I think this was the Insalata di Mare (shrimp, squid, crab, greens, basil pesto, lemon vinaigrette)

.... Linguine Alla Siciliana (gamberetti, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, anchovy, capers)


.... their Italian bread, Ciabatta.... my and Reina's favorite ... soft but with just the right amount of delicate crunch on each bite, light and tasty!

The pizza was good... and loooong..... thin and crispy... topped with authentic Italian ingredients... I love the shape.

The bestseller of the night... Manzo Tagliata (?) (ciabatta, beef tenderloin, gorgonzola, grilled onions)... I wished the serving was a bit bigger though...

Gone without a trace...

Cibo is, no doubt, here to stay. It may not be the best Italian restau in the Metro but you get your money's worth with every visit. Definitely.